The world is full of secrets. Little ones and big ones, some that we keep and some that we share. Maybe you’d like to know a secret, one of the happiest ones I’ve ever found.

Of course, you may not need me to tell you. You’ll probably discover it for yourself one day. Maybe when you least expect it.

You might discover it one morning as the sun comes up — filling the world with light, replacing the darkness of the night with all the bright colors of the day.

You might see it shining through your window and feel it warm your cheek, as it warms all the world around you. And you might say softly, quietly, so that no one could even hear— thanks. Thank you, sun, for bringing the gift of a new day.

Or maybe you’ll find the secret when you are out and about, listening to the singing of birds in the treetops, a gentle breeze whispering in the leaves. Maybe you’ll stop for just a moment and say, thanks.

Thank you, robins and chickadees and cardinals, for the beauty of your music, for the magic of your flight.

Thank you, trees, for shade on a warm day, for holding the earth in place with your roots, for reaching into the sky with your limbs. Thank you for reminding us about our own roots — how to hold fast in a storm, and how to reach for the light.

And thank you, breezes, for the sweet air we breathe, for your songs in the trees, for the wind to fill a kite or a sail, and for blowing the clouds like great white ships across the sky.

Perhaps you will notice the secret one evening as the orange moon rises over the hills, casting moon shadows on the ground, and arguing with the stars about who holds dominion over the night.

And surely you’ll notice the stars themselves and their constellations, arranged like glittering pictures on black satin, sending their tiny beams of light across the universe, just bright enough so you will have something to wish upon, when you really need a wish. Maybe you’ll remember to say thanks — to the moon and the stars and the light they give — just enough so we can find our way through the night.

Maybe you’ll find the secret while holding a kitten or cuddling a puppy, and thinking to yourself how lucky we are to have all the creatures of the Earth — great and small, furry ones and feathered ones, finned ones and creepy crawling ones — all of them keeping us company on our beautiful blue planet, as it sails among the stars.

And maybe you’ll say thanks — thank you for your companionship, and for reminding us how many different and beautiful ways there are to be alive.

Author Douglas Wood writes about the blessings of family gatherings.(Photo: Illustration by Heidi Moore)

You might discover the secret someday when you’re feeling sad or lonely, and someone you love gives you a hug or kisses your cheek, and tells you that things will be all right. And you believe them, and feel grateful to be loved.

Or perhaps you will discover the secret around a table with your family — parents, brothers, sisters, grandmas, grandpas — and you remember to give thanks for all the bounty and blessings we receive at this time, and at every time of year.

There are many ways, many times and places you may find the secret, far more than you can count.

But what is the secret, you may ask?

Well, I am sure you know it, somewhere deep inside, but perhaps I can help you put it into words, as someone once helped me: The heart that feels thankful is a happy one, for it is hard to feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.

We don’t give thanks because we’re happy. We are happy because we remember to give thanks.

(This story, special to the St. Cloud Times, is inspired by Douglas Wood’s book, "The Secret of Saying Thanks," now in its 12th printing, published by Simon and Schuster. Illustrator Heidi Moore is a student at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph.)